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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Generally, compose/play by ear. Playing generally, a mixture of ear and sometimes adapted music.

Instrument used:

Yamaha DGX620

Recording method:

Audacity or Wavepad.

Technical feedback wanted:

Yes

Additional info:

This is unusually for me a dark piece. Think "bereavement", "Hope Gone" or "If only" . . . . many have been there. Hard work putting it together. This is the shortened version; it has a second happier part which is another couple of minutes.

I discovered this piece many years ago when I bought my first new piano. It was a digital piano and had this as its one demo song. I was in awe of this music and the swirling energy that could easily sweep you away. My son and I loved to listen to it. We would put the piano in demo mode and pretend that we were playing this piece, because of course, neither of us had any hope that we could ever play it for real. Twenty years fly by... Although my son is grown and the piano given away, I don't have to pretend anymore. And I'm still in awe of this music. This is for my little boy and our dreams.

This song dropped out of the sky into my lap two weeks before the recital, and I've obsessed over it until - well, I haven't stopped yet. But I think I've calmed down a bit since I re-submitted it a second time for the recital after tweeking a few things.

I never had any intentions of singing while playing, but this song demanded it, so I learned how.

My wife has always joked around about me writing a song for her. That was back when I used to play guitar. I would have loved to, but nothing ever seemed appropriate.

Years later, now learning piano, this song was given to me. It's a little silly, but at least relates my feelings into something we both get and is appropriate.

She certainly deserves the unobtainable, and all I've ever managed to provide is mundane reality. I'm such a schlub. A very lucky schlub.

Except I can now say I finally gave her a song.

The lyrics for those that can't understand my mumbling:

A cabin on your private isleA leisurely six-minute mileA waterfall frozen in timeDisney without any lines

All for youAll of these things for you

A potion to never grow oldA chest full of silver and goldA mountain that touches the sunPeace for everyone

All for you All of these things for you

Oh, that's right - money's tight

An afternoon trip to the zooA slightly abused iPad 2Children that always fightPizza on Saturday night

Haydn wrote a lot of sonatas, and they don't get the attention they deserve. Many of them are well within the range of amateur pianists, and often it is possible to make them sound good with relatively little effort. From that stage it is possible to work on details and continue improving, the ultimate goal being to play the sonatas with great delicacy like the master pianists.

I decided to play only the first movement of the sonata, and hope that those of you listening to the whole movement will not be bored to death. Any feedback is welcome, and please feel free to send me personal messages if you want more information about this piece or other Haydn sonatas.

Well about halfway through, my recording software decided to make a nice jump forward a bit. Could be better quality audio, too, I suppose.

Anyhow, been messing with this one for just about a month. It's not all shiny but I might as well participate in the recital. Had a lot of fun with this one, first Einaudi that I have done. Hoping to learn more of his works. Hope ya like it! My mom does, but she has to

I've wanted to learn Grieg's Notturno since the early eighties when I saw it listed as an easy starter in Charles Cooke's Playing the Piano for Pleasure. It is not such an easy piece, though by no means a mammoth undertaking, and the difference between the perception of its difficulties (none) and the reality (some) has thwarted my previous attempts at it.

The central Piu mosso is a good test of double finger technique and the extended trills can be troublesome. I've not come out unscathed in any of them.

The quavers blossom into triplets before bursting into flower on these trills and I am still lacking the confidence to play the triplets without counting them (sadly not the left hand) and despite the simple pattern of the chromatic descent leading to the coda it has been a struggle to memorise - the hesitations are quite obvious from the recording - but these things and other little details will come with time.

I'm delighted to finally have this piece under my belt and I don't think I'd have finished it yet had I not planned it for this recital. It's a wonderful debut for my new Kawai CA95, which has replaced my 24 year old Clavinova and with which I'm overjoyed.

I still wince when I hear the Romance Sans Paroles from last time but I have listened to this recording since I uploaded it and am quite pleased with it.

I made a note in the last recital that my selection was normally a beautiful piece. I did not intend to imply that my playing wasn't beautiful but that it is beautiful without much effort, whoever plays it, and was therefore surprised it hadn't been chosen before. This nocturne is the same and yet has not been aired since Recital #16.

I have read, and if I'm honest, re-read all the wonderful comments people made about my last recital and I never got round to acknowledging them all. Let me do that here. Thank you to those that commented, thank you to those that contributed, and thank you to those that just listened. And a special thank you to those that organise this splendid opportunity.

One of Monk's more obscure tunes. I had not heard of it before, and it doesn't seem to be played very much. He certainly came up with some wierd names for tunes. Apparently, Let's Cool One was named for a phrase favored by Harlem disc jockey and entertainer Ralph Cooper. It was first recorded in 1952.

The Shadow of Your SmileInitially I planned to submit only Misty but one day I came across the lead sheet of The Shadow of Your Smile and instantly fell in love with it. I couldn't drag myself from playing it over and over again so I decided to include it in my submission.

In this piece I tried to imitate the base (the left hand), the rhythm guitar (a kind of strumming) and the piano. So close your eyes, please - can you see this little trio?

MistyA Beautiful piece. The Classic made in zillion renditions but I always wanted to play such pieces in my, i.e. known, standards in the style between jazz and so called cocktail piano - beautiful melody, jazzy chords.

As a completely self-taught aspiring pianist I like to treat every piece as an exercise. In Misty I tried to use the whole keyboard, I mean as many keys as possible, from almost the lowest one to the highest, practice walking base in the left hand, runs, broken chords and octaves in the right hand.

I know the beginnings of almost each chorus are played a little too fast, my fingers slipped two or three times but nonetheless I hope you will enjoy it.

Last but not least - funny thing and a puzzleOnce practicing Misty my right hand flew too far and suddenly I started to play in another key. I liked it so I changed the chords accordingly and incorporated one chorus in this new key to the piece.And here is my question: at what time did I change the key in Misty? Can you find the place?

Recorded by an iPhone resting on the music lip on the inside of the piano's lid. Truncated and exported to MP3 using Audacity.

Technical feedback wanted:

Yes

Additional info:

Well ... I was planning on submitting the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, as some of you may know. But as some of you may also know, I am currently without a piano at home, and quiet times are hard to come by at the pub where I'm now doing my playing -- especially in seven-minute stretches. So, alas. Moonlight will have to wait until after I've moved into my currently still under-construction new apartment.

I recorded this during a brief lull in the action at the pub, when there were only two other people in the room (one of whom was the bartender). Even so, you will notice significant background noise. I apologize.

This was the first piece I learned after getting back to playing the piano in September. Nothing like listening over and over to a recording of yourself to expose all of the little imperfections in your playing (and here I thought I'd moved beyond this level!), but all in all, I think it's not so bad.

I skipped lunch, by the way. Dinner was leftover fries with beef stew, which I got from the bartender when she couldn't finish hers.

This was published posthumously and is supposed to be one of the easiest pieces by Chopin to play. I chose it because I enjoy playing Chopin but know better than to subject the recital to my attempts at the hard stuff. I also needed a piece where I could get the notes quickly and focus on tone. Even after focus, this recording leaves room for improvement, and I'm sure this piece will evolve with me over many years. I plan to keep coming back to it.

Descriptions I've read online describe the piece as sad, haunting, mysterious, and obsessive. To me the main theme (Am) is inescapable, inevitable and the piece comes as tries to break away, inevitably being pulled back. The first time (E major) is rational and self-assured, but the second and third times (A major) are less controlled, even manic. It is an impressive range of moods Chopin achieves with simple harmony and a short span of time.

Learned classical piano as a child until I was 13 or 14 years old. Did not touch the piano for some 35 years until about three years ago. I have not taken piano lessons since childhood but I plan to find a teacher in the near future.

After last November's recital, I've been dealing with an ill cat who has had two surgeries since then and another stay at the vet these past two days, on top of work, of course. Needless to say, that means I haven't had a chance to explore a new piece, so I decided to revisit an older one. There were two classical pieces that motivated me to relearn the piano three years ago. This was one of them. I was very much drawn to this beautiful melody created by Gluck for the flute and later transcribed by Sgambati for the piano. Looking back now, I should say that it was pretty ambitious to have tried it when I was still rebuilding my skills. Sgambati's transcription is exhausting to the left hand, and mine wasn't ready for the workout. Nonetheless, I persevered and even managed to record it on my old Yamaha Clavinova, but played it so slowly ... 'ploddingly' is probably the apt term :-). I thought I'd revisit it, play it at a much faster speed, add some ornamentation here and there that I heard some pianists incorporate, and recruit my acoustic piano this time. It took about a month to relearn the piece. The left hand was the hardest to deal with, just like it was three years ago. Eventually, the left hand relaxed. And what a difference three years of continuing with the piano makes! My current version is certainly not perfect. I thought of having more recording takes, but I just don't have the luxury to do so this time. Nonetheless, it is such an improvement over my first attempt three years ago. If you like, here is the older recording to compare with my current recital submission: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nt-VxWvdeIAnd here is the current recording on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEVxl3e67eE

The Arabeske was composed by Schumann not long after he and Clara finally managed to get married in spite of Clara's father's interference. Robert journeyed to Vienna, hoping to move his new family there and away from Clara's father. But it was not to be - he couldn't find a publisher in Vienna for his music journal. But while he was there, he wrote the Arabeske, intending it for the multitude of middle class females that bought new music by the handfuls. They must have been prodigious players to manage the stretches in this piece, and the odd held notes, and so forth.

It's a rondo, and the Arabeske theme comes back 3 times, which is what makes it so long. The material sandwiched in between contrasts greatly, and that contrast is typical Schumann.

I missed a lot of notes - sorry about that! It's very tough for me to play something this long without lots of mistakes. The video has the sheet music - enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day! It is the most romantic day of the year- the day when men desperately try to find the right expressions of love for the women that are their heart's desire.

It is a day for chocolates, cards, flowers, romantic dinners, big teddy bears, expensive gifts, jewelry - what other ideas can we come up with guys? If you have the right woman though, it is really the thought that counts. What can be better in the "thought" category than poetry, music, or anything created with love of her in mind?

This is the spirit with which I arranged and recorded My Romance, one of the most romantic songs ever composed. I wish that I could sing like James Taylor (who has a great vocal version of this song), but I can't. I wish that I could write romantic poetry like Robert Burns, but I can't. All I can do is play hack amateur jazz, but if it is truly the thought that counts then the message should be bursting through....

I'm slowing things way down from my previous recital entries. My take on this tune is inspired by the wonderful Brad Mehldau version which is done at about 52 bpm. He does a beautiful free flowing piano solo as entry and exit to the song. In my entry solo I use a trick from Gershwin where he plays lush major chords in a diminished progression.

There aren't a lot of notes overall in the band verses. I had a couple of takes with more improv runs, but they just didn't seem tasteful given my ability to pull them off. So I settled on this less-is-more version. I hope you like it.

"My Romance" music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart

My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the skyMy romance doesn't need a blue lagoon standing byNo month of May, no twinkling stars, no hideaway, no soft guitars

My romance doesn't need a castle rising in SpainNor a dance to a constantly surprising refrainWide awake I can make my most fantastic dreams come trueMy romance doesn't need a thing but you

My romance doesn't need a castle rising in SpainNor a dance to a constantly surprising refrainWide awake I can make my most fantastic dreams come trueMy romance doesn't need a thing but you

To Celia

Drink to me, only, with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine; Or leave a kisse but in the cup, And Ile not look for wine. The thirst, that from the soule doth rise, Doth aske a drink divine: But might I of Jove's Nectar sup, I would not change for thine. I sent thee, late, a rosie wreath, Not so much honoring thee, As giving it a hope, that there It could not withered be. But thou thereon did'st onely breathe, And sent'st it back to mee: Since when it growes, and smells, I sweare, Not of it selfe, but thee.

Aram Khachaturian, Pictures of Childhood: Children's Album I for Piano. Published by Musikverlag Hans Sikorski.

Instrument used:

Baldwin Hamilton upright

Recording method:

M-Audio Microtrack II

Technical feedback wanted:

Yes

Additional info:

This is #2 in Khachaturian's Adventures of Ivan. I submitted #1 (Ivan Sings) a few recitals ago, and I have a goal to submit all of them over time. One of my goals in this piece was to vary tempo and dynamics: hopefully artistically. The dynamics changes are in the score; the tempo changes are not but I am learning to go beyond the bare notations of the score into musical interpretation and bringing the piece to life.

This is the first composition of Rachmaninoff that I have learned from beginning to end. This is one of his more accessible pieces, but still bloody hard for a relative beginner.

I don't particularly like my own interpretation, mostly because I tend to play the harder parts faster than I can manage. This is something I often do when I haven't mastered the piece to my satisfaction. In addition the end is far too loud. I blame that on nerves, which makes the playing less relaxed and smooth.

Wouldn't have submitted this unless Valencia had submitted the exact same piece. Hope we can give each other some constructive feedback

When I started to dangle round a piano I felt immediatelly in love with Chopin's Nocturnes. Those pieces are for experienced players only I would say but I had to try at least this easiest one.Well, this recording is thousands miles from perfection :-) I think I will try to keep it in my repertoire to polish it over next years. Meantime I should focus on less demanding pieces (which is not exactly true because I should participate in Mendelssohn Themed recital... :-)

This piece was on my mind when I chose to take up piano lessons, a little over a year ago. I started work on it way too early, right after finishing the Alfred 1 Christmas book. I picked it up again two months ago, determined to get it ready for the recital. Even the effing hard four bars past the two minute mark. It's going to take more work, for sure, but I feel pretty happy about how far I've come already.

The MP3 is played a fair bit better, but the piano on the YouTube video clearly wins in pure sound quality. I recorded it while trying out pianos at the local dealer, last weekend.

This is a medley I arranged based on 3 harp pieces by the late new age artist Hilary Stagg. I've always wanted to try seeing what his harp music would sound like on the piano, so a couple months ago I started putting this medley together combining three of his pieces. I decided to use a custom electronic piano sound for this so let me know what you think. I played a way simplified version of this for a church about a year ago. It's got a few mistakes and the ending I hacked up for sure,

For lunch I had coffee, diet coke, and homenade buffalo fried chicken, and a few mike & ike's.

Several sheet music arrangements, cobbled together, simplified in a few places, and with some additions to take the place of the saxophone that would otherwise be transitioning out of the bridge and in/out of the final verse.

Instrument used:

Yamaha DGX-500

Recording method:

Digital to PC (Audacity)

Technical feedback wanted:

Yes

Additional info:

I was in a rush when I recorded this, and it definitely shows in the performance, especially the 1st 30 seconds. One take. Other than butchering the transition to the bridge, it's relatively clean and a fair indicator of my level of aptitude with this song at this time.

Encouragement is great, but I would *really* appreciate honest feedback too!

The recording quality is awful, so I had to make some compromises re: reducing hiss vs. muffling the sounds of the keyboard.

I had Chinese food today at a work function celebrating the fact that we all worked like dogs in January and landed millions for the hospital. The only thing better than Chinese food is free Chinese food.